The Things I Like
by Chaimera
Summary: Follow up from 'Distractions'. The reapers have an unexpected visitor but he could have bad news for George.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Dead Like Me as much as I would like to, so don't sue me.**

**K, after much pestering for a sequel to "Distractions" I wrote this. It's not so much a sequel, more of a follow on. Also, like "Mad, Crazy Love", this is AU as the series two information has not yet been made available to me.**

**Herin you will find a tale of conflict. Not a big conflict, not even a medium sized conflict, but a conflict none the less. And as we all know, a stoy is nothing without its conflict. Besides, its not size, its how you use it.**

**Enjoy.**

**The Things I Like.**

**By Chaimera**

I'm George Lass.

You, of course, already know that. And if you know that, then you know a hell of a lot of other things about me. I'm sure you recall my last little adventure? The one that involved me getting a building dumped on me? Sure you do. Well, I once again find myself, as I do on most mornings, having breakfast at Der WaffleHaus with my… well, I suppose I could call them friends. That little building incident was about a while ago now, so I'm all healed up now but thanks to Mason, Rube still goes on the occasional guilt trip. Infact after myself and Mason turned up at the diner that morning, Rube did something entirely unexpected.

-flashback-

"Right, well I have to go. Things to do, people to kill." Mason grabbed my arm and gave me a small kiss before sliding out of the booth and disappearing through the door. Roxy rolled her eyes and followed suit. Daisy was already long gone, which left only myself and Rube sitting at the table. I watched the surly meter maid leave and then scowled at the table top.

"Huh. Bastard still leaves me with the bill." I looked up at Rube. "Some things never change."

Rube snorted and ordered something from Kiffany. I was too busy gazing out the window contemplating the previous nights events and this mornings actions, to pay any real attention to Rube who, let's face it, never really pays any attention to me either. Except when I'm fucking up. I looked up again as a plate of pancakes was set in front of me.

I eyed Rube suspiciously. This was highly unlike him. "Ok, what did I do or what do you want?"

Rube frowned. "I can't buy breakfast for one of my own reapers?"

"Not when you're your usual grumpy self, no."

He sighed and began to cut into his own waffles. "Dig in Peanut. I want you to listen to something." There is always a catch with Rube. Sometimes there isn't even anything attached to the catch. You can get caught without doing anything. It sucks.

Rube shifted in his seat. "Listen Peanut. I know I should have come with you last night. It was a rough job and I'm…"

He mumbled the end of his sentence. I smirked inwardly. This had to be killing him but I was not about to give up a chance to see Rube squirm.

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

"im sorry."

It's odd. Rube is the big, strong one. He's not supposed to act like this.

"You must have some waffle in your mouth, because I just cant hear you."

His fork slammed down on the table. "I'm sorry. Will you please stop and let me speak."

That's more like the Rube I know and aggravate. "… Yes."

"Thank you. Look Peanut. I should have been lookin' out for you last night and I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted."

"That's very gracious of you. Now come on. We've got to be going."

I slid out of the seat and Rube helped me as I limped towards the door. "Where are we going?"

"Were going to pick up my appointment and then we're going to pick up yours." He flipped over his folded newspaper to show me two post its.

"What? A building falls on me and I don't even get the day off?… Ow. Don't shake the injured person." I knew this nice guy thing couldn't last.

-Present day-

So anyway, he apologised. I would say its weird but when you work in this business, there isn't much you don't see. Mason is stealing some of my fruit again while his other hand is working it's way up my thigh… towards my purse. I slap his hand away.

"You keep that up and you'll be sleeping on the couch."

He grinned at me. "Aww George. Don't make empty threats. You know you don't have the heart." "The hell I don't." He yelped as I smacked the back of his head.

Roxy looked disgusted and grabbed Rube's paper from him. "Tell me this isn't allowed. I cant take all of this mushy crap."

Rube heaved a sigh and took his paper back. "You know I cant do anything about it. We've been over this before."

She rolled her eyes and glared in our direction. I inched away from Mason slightly, not willing to incur Roxy's considerable wrath, not even for Mason who grabbed my arm and pulled me back towards him, scowling at Roxy.

"Roxy that's not fair. Just because you're bitter and single and…"

Roxy stood up and leaned over towards Mason who sank further back into the seat. "You keep talking boy and I'll…"

Strangely enough it was Daisy that put a halt to the whole argument, though not in a way I particularly like. "Really Mason, I don't know what you see in her. Her skin is in a terrible state, I won't even consider her dress sense and her hair…"

I just rolled my eyes and Mason frowned at her. "Daisy I don't understand you. When Mason was after you, you couldn't give him the time of day but now that he's with me…" I gave her a sly smile. "One would think you were jealous."

Finally Rube put a stop to the whole thing. He looked sternly at me over the top of his newspaper. "If I hear another word from any of you about you two love birds I will officially put you all on triple shifts."

That shut us up pretty quickly.

Roxy scowled and held out her hand. "Gimme my appointment. Some people have jobs to be at." She threw Daisy and Mason dirty looks.

One of the few perks of having my mind numbing part time job, is that it earned me some of Roxy's grudging respect. Good thing too, because the last thing I needed was another reason to get on Roxy's bad side.

Rube slapped a post it in front of each of us. "Have fun kids."

Roxy and Daisy left immediately and Mason glanced at his and looked up at me. "You leaving now?" I shook my head and picked at my bowl of fruit. "I still have a few hours and I'm hungry. I'll meet you for lunch?"

He nodded and gave me a quick kiss and nodded to Rube before sliding out of the booth. I put my legs where he had been sitting and snagged Rube's paper from where he had set it down.

He stood. "I gotta take a sissy peanut. Order me waffles if Casey comes by. You know how I like them."

I nodded absently at him as he headed towards the restrooms. I flipped to the back and sighed as I saw the completely filled in crossword. Being alive as long as Rube has, must take all the fun out of things like crosswords and trivia games. I mean, you've been around so long that you remember most of the history questions, you've had the time to learn all the obscure bits of information. It must be a damn boring un life really. That is, unless you have people like Mason, Daisy and myself, seemingly put on this earth to exacerbate Rube. It's not that we do it just for the fun of seeing him turn that interesting shade of purple you understand, but occasionally we do just make mistakes. I'm not always trying to beat fate, as fun as it is to have the gravelings make your life hell.

As I sat there, scanning the paper, not really reading, and musing away to myself, I failed to see a man come in the door. I man I had last seen well over a year ago. Rube had been there, he had called him a pain in the ass. Said he was glad he was gone. It's not surprising that I didn't recognise him though. I only saw him for less than a minute. He was the last person I ever spoke to when I was alive. He asked me my name, popped my soul and then I got hit my a high velocity toilet seat. I didn't notice as he made his way up to the boot and stood in front of me. I did however, notice when he pushed down the paper and glared at me.

"Umm, excuse me?"

"It's time for you to leave now George. Get your skinny white ass up and on your way. Off you go now."

"What? Who are… Rube. Help."

I looked to Rube who was marching towards us with his 'George-has-fucked-up' face on. The man turned to Rube and he stopped in his tracks. I'd never seen Rube truly shocked. I'd seen him mad, very mad, fuming, amused and slightly irritated but this was a new Rube emotion to be stored away in my internal filo fax.

"Harry. Jesus Christ on fucking crutches, what the hell are you doing here?"

Harry let out a low chuckle. "Why Rube, to a casual observer, you'd think you were unhappy to see me."

"Unhappy to see you? I'm about to fuckin' cry. Why in the name of fuck are you back?"

Rube sat down and Harry slid into the booth beside him. "Well, you see I got in trouble with upper management, so they demoted me. Can't say I'm too happy about it, but I'm back. Another century to look forward to, eh?" He laughed again, deep in his chest.

He turned to me. "So, off you go little girl. Go find your lights. Go on."

It wasn't said unkindly, but he wasn't the most pleasant of characters either. I looked to Rube again. "Wait. I have to leave? Now? But… I…"

Harry gave me an odd look. "What? You haven't been dead long. Count yourself lucky. Some of us have to wait a long time to move on."

Rube frowned at him. "And you are the only one that I have ever heard of that actually got kicked out of heaven." Harry shrugged and plucked a piece of fruit from my bowl.

I stood up. My head was already pounding from considering the possibilities that came with the sudden reappearance of the man the reaped my soul. "I'm… I'm gonna go for a walk. Pick up my guy. You…" I glanced at Rube who was wearing a very dark look. "Come find me when you can explain what's going on. Please."

As I walked down the street, away from Der WaffleHaus my mind was spinning. Does this mean the new un life I had worked so hard to build over the last year was suddenly forfeit. My relationship with Mason was over and I just walked away like it all never happened. I realised suddenly, for the first time in my afterlife, I was practically content to stay. I still didn't like the idea of assisting death, but it was something you got over eventually. I had friends, sort of. I had a boyfriend, I had a house, a roommate, a job. The latter two I could barely stand but that was against the point. After living like I was barely alive, I died and now had a life, and I wasn't going to give it up without a fight.

I looked at my post it as I sat reading outside a café on Waterside drive. "A. Haishi, Waterside drive, 12:56am." As I glanced about for risk factors or a person who could fit the name, I spotted a stooped homeless woman with wild black hair making her way towards me. She squinted at me over the café partition and shielded her face from the glare of the sun. I jumped as a graveling appeared on the table and cackled. I gave it my best death glare but I knew it would do no good. These were creatures who got their kicks from giving people grotesque and bizarre deaths, after all. She grinned a semi toothless grin at me.

"I know what you are." Her eyes darted to the graveling and I rolled my own.

Why do I always get the crazies that can see gravelings. Lets pretend that I didn't have a make out session or two with the first crazy and just say that its always me.

I brought my attention back to the woman who had started hissing at me. "I see all you know. I see them." She gestured wildly at the graveling who gave me a confused look. "They come from the smoke with their blazing eyes and steal souls. But not me. No, for I am Akio, Goddess of Death. Untouchable."

Contrary to her statement I reached over and brushed my fingers against her arm, feeling the familiar chill run up my arm as I sat back. The graveling hopped off my table and ran down the pavement. The so called "Goddess of Death" took off in hot pursuit. There was still a minute to go before the Goddess of Death received a visit from her brother so I sat back and began to rifle through my thoughts. I heard the sound of multiple collisions from around the corner and sighed.

About half an hour later Roxy threw herself into the seat across from me and ran a hand threw her hair. "You got the easy one. Took them fifteen minutes to cut my two out."

Suddenly the soul of Akio flew by, still chasing the graveling and laughing madly.

Roxy raised an eyebrow. "You just gonna let her do that?"

I glanced up at her from my meal. "You gonna stop her? 'Cause I sure as hell can't."

Roxy glared at me suspiciously. "What's up with you?"

I looked at her properly. "You remember Harry right?"

Roxy nodded as she pulled a chunk out of her muffin. "Yeah. You replaced him. Pain in the ass. Mother fucker was as bad as you were in the beginning except it was all the time."

"Oh."

"Why?"

"Nothing really. Rube just mentioned him."

It was obvious that she didn't believe me but she didn't ask again and for that I was grateful. I smiled a little as I saw Mason make his way towards us, a grumpy looking soul in tow.

Roxy looked around and shook her head. "No way am I staying around for this shit. I'll see you later." I waved her good bye and smiled again. 'See you later' was progress with Roxy. At least she didn't hate me. Mason arrived and bent to give me a deep kiss. I moaned a little and he smiled against my mouth.

"Told you I wouldn't be sleeping on the couch."

"Shut up."

"If you insist." He kissed me again and then sat down.

I surveyed his reap and glanced at him. "Another crack house?"

Mason giggled. "Yeah."

I gave him a hard look. "You're high!"

He shook his head quickly. "Am not."

I sighed. I knew it when I began my relationship with him, but it still irritated me when Mason got completely wasted, especially in the middle of the day.

He frowned at me. "What's up Georgie? You look… troubled."

That's the thing with Mason, he's actually really smart once you get past the bacteria conspiracies, so even when he's high he often comes out with these odd moments of clarity.

"Do you remember Harry?" I asked softly. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell Mason that I could be hopping on my lights any minute.

"Harry? He was a wanker. Never liked him. Yup, wanker." Mason giggled again. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. It was turning out to be one of those days. I opened my eyes again when I felt his hand on mine.

He smiled at me. "Come on George, talk to me."

I shook my head and smiled. Mason could be such a mess of personalities. He could switch from being the happy stoner, to the sweet English guy, to the messy asshole, to the passionate guy in a flash, no interval needed. No practicing lines in a mirror like Daisy. Sometimes it was hard to weed out the real Mason from all the sideline crap that had been added on from a lifetime of drug use, petty crime and reaping. I can count the times I've seen the real Mason on one hand. There was the time he saw Charlotte and my father in the diner, the time we first had sex, and handful of other times. According to him, I'm the same, so I'm not allowed bitch.

As he looked at me now, genuinely concerned as to what had put me in a bad mood, I had another reason to stay.

"Well, Harry…"

"Yeah?"

"He showed up again today. Apparently he got kicked out, and he's back."

"Oh fuck. That's just what we need. Harry analysing our every move again. Great." He sat back in a huff.

"There's something else."

"Yeah, what?"

I toyed with my fork for a while until he got annoyed at me. "What George?"

"He said that now that he's back, I get to move on. That my job is over really, position filled."

Mason looked angry. Like surprise on Rube, it was an emotion that didn't fit him well. I was too used to the happy go high Mason for me to like him, seething like this. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. Come on."

He grabbed my arm and I threw some money on the table as he dragged me away.

"Where are we going?"

"To sort this fucking mess out. No way am I going to let that wanker send you off…"

He stopped suddenly, and I collided with him. His arms encircled me before I fell over and he held me at arms length. "Unless… You don't want to go? Do you George? 'Cause I know we all want to move on but…"

I shook my head. "No Mason, I don't want to go. I want to try my hand at actually living for a while, even though I'm dead."

He pulled me into a rather unexpected hug. "Well, that's good, 'cause I thought there for a minute, well…"

I smiled at him and gave him a small kiss. "So I assume we are going to talk to Rube?" He nodded and we continued down the road.

As we walked towards Der WaffleHaus, Mason still had my arm in a death grip. "Um, Mason?" "Yeah?"

"My arm's kinda asleep. Could you let go?"

He stopped and let go of my arm with a small smile. "Sorry."

"That's ok. Now, what exactly are you going to say when you get in there?"

"Something along the lines of get your fat ass out of my girlfriends seat and go find your own. Somewhere far away."

I laughed a little but looked at him seriously. "I'm not sure that's going to work."

He shrugged. "Well, then we'll get Roxy to chase his ass out of the city."

"I like that idea."

"Come on."

He took my hand again and we headed inside.

Rube looked stressed. I could see it from the other side of the room. He had that look about him as if he was going to explode any minute. I could only see the back of Harry but he was talking animatedly to Rube who had closed his eyes. It was the same expression ho wore when I pissed him off only worse. It looks like Harry is a constipator too.

Mason tugged on my hand and we approached the booth.

Harry looked up at us and scowled. "What the fuck are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be in some sorority house in the sky by now? Mason, how are you?"

"Pretty shit now that you're back. Rube what the fuck is going on?"

Rube looked at us. "If you all don't pipe down right now, I'm gonna kill all of you. Again. Except for you peanut. You haven't said a fuckin' word. You feelin' ok?"

I shook my head as I slid in to the booth beside Rube. Mason sat across from me shooting Harry evil looks. I glanced at Rube as he put his hand over mine briefly.

Harry snorted. "Cosy little arrangement you have here, huh?" he asked me and then turned to Rube. "Finally have the daughter you could never know, yeah? And Mason, you finally found someone naïve enough to let you into her pants."

You know, I could take him pissing off Rube and Mason but when he started bringing my new life into question… I leaned across the table. "You listen here you fucker, you better shut up or.."

He laughed in my face. "Or you'll what? Kill me?"

Rube pulled me back down. "She won't, but I might. You better keep that overly large mouth of yours in check."

I crossed my arms and looked at Rube. "Can I ask you something?" He nodded absently. "Is there anyway I can influence the outcome of what happens to me at this point?"

Rube shook his head grimly.

I wasn't surprised. I never really had any control in the first place. Not when I got hit by the toilet seat, not when I was told to take a soul, not when Mason kissed me and I kissed back. None of it. Just a pawn. I always knew this but in the past I always had the urge to fight it. This time though, it was going to cause to much pain. All I would do was sit here while the people around me either argued over whether I stay or go, or I watch as the people I care about just accept it and I loose them as well.

I stood up. "I'm going home. I'll see you in the morning."

Mason gave me a concerned look but just nodded. I ran into Roxy as I left the WaffleHaus and she stopped me as she looked across the room.

"What the fuck is that cock sucker doing here?"

"I have no idea."

"What the hell are we going to do with him? We're all full."

I sighed. "The question seems to be not what you will do with him, but what you'll do with me."

I left Roxy stalking across to the others and headed homeward.

One of the upsides of having a substance abusing boyfriend is that you can always count on a supply of heavy liquor near by. Unfortunately for me, said supply was locked. Another upside of having a boyfriend like Mason is that you learn how to pick locks pretty quickly.

A few hours and a bottle of J.D later I was comfortably slouched on the couch when I heard the lock click. Alas, it was not Mason, who was probably still shouting at Harry, but the one and only Daisy Adair.

"Georgia? Georgia? Are you here?"

She'd find me eventually.

She entered the sitting room and wrinkled her nose at the smell. I heard her sigh and pick up the empty bottle and throw it in the bin.

She crouched in front of me and frowned. "Oh, Georgia. Is getting drunk really the way to deal with this right now?" I was surprised at the hint of genuine concern in her voice but I just shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time. What time is it?"

"After midnight."

"Figures. Even when I'm drunk I can't sleep."

Daisy sighed again. "Ok, come on. Lets get you into bed."

We staggered up the stairs and Daisy put me to bed. An odd experience to say the least. "Daisy?"

"Yes Georgia?"

"I don't want to leave. Not yet."

She smiled and brushed some hair from my face. "I know Hunny. We don't want you to go yet either."

My head pounded as I dragged the covers over my head as the sun streamed in the window. I glanced about blearily. Obviously Mason had not been home all night. I retreated into the cave of my duvet again. This was all my own fault really. I should have taken my own advice. Remember: interest begets expectation, expectation begets disappointment. ABCA.

Currently I was somewhere between expectation and disappointment. I had expected to stay in my nice new life and now I was about to get disappointed. When I was alive I never had this problem. I never made personal connections with anyone and I was never sad when they left. I cringed when the phone rang, the annoying noise digging into my skull.

No one answered.

Daisy was gone… somewhere. Even though she drove me crazy, I didn't even want to leave Daisy. She needs someone around to look after her. Mason told me her last thought. It made me sad, to know she was that good an actress. It seems that reapers are those people who you see very little of the real them. Mason, Daisy, Rube, Roxy. They're all hiding their true selves and according to both Mason and Daisy, I do the same.

The phone began to ring again. I clambered out of bed and made my way downstairs but didn't reach the phone in time. Luckily, this person was persistent. So it was either a sales man or Rube. It proved to be the latter.

"Hey Georgia. Get you ass down to my place, ASAP, huh?"

"Uhh, k. Umm wha.." And he was gone.

A man of few words when he wants to be, our Rube. Also, he just doesn't like any technology with buttons. I got dressed quickly and grabbed my bike and as I cycled to Rubes apartment and looked at everything around me, I kept finding more things about the world that made me want to stay.

I stared at the brass 41 on the door for a while, wondering what news the man who lived there held for me. Suddenly the door was pulled open and Rubes scowling face appeared in the doorway.

"Stop loitering." He motioned me inside.

"Well, good morning to you too."

"Well, from what Daisy tells me, I doubt you're having such a good morning."

"Stupid bitch needs to learn how to keep her mouth shut."

Rube moved around his apartment doing, something and I waited. I'm really bad at waiting. "Ok, Rube, so what's the deal?"

He looked at me. "Ok, peanut. So here's the deal. This has never happened before, so I don't know what's going to happen. I sent a note upstairs and they're going to get back to me today."

"Well, do you have any idea what might happen?"

Rube shrugged and turned away. "I gotta tell you George, it doesn't look like it's going to go in your favour."

"What? That is so un-fucking-fair!"

"Peanut, reapers come and go and y…"

I stopped him right there. "Don't give me that shit Rube. If you really mean that 'that's the way it is and you have to accept it' bullshit then fine, but if you're just trying to make yourself feel better, spare me!"

I expected him to go into one of his rants about how I was not the centre of the world, but he didn't. Instead he just sat in his big wing back chair and sighed. "George, I don't know what's going to happen."

I looked over at him. He looked tired. "Do you remember my first week on the job?"

He laughed. "With painful clarity."

"You asked me what I liked and I said I didn't know. You gave that long list of things that you liked. Well, I've got my own list. I like Mason, I like the Breakfast at Tiffany's meal, I like riding my bike early in the morning. Aimee Mann, jazz music, when I get free cookies from the copy guy at work, my frog. I like when the words 'no post it for you today' come out of your mouth. I like the days when I don't think about my family and it's like I never had another life and I like it here. I don't want to go away Rube. I want to be able to like things for a little longer."

Rube gave an odd look and nodded. "I can appreciate all that."

I sat in one of the other chairs and stared absently at his old black and white TV as a pair, apparently madly in love, danced across the screen. "

Fred Astair and Ginger Rodgers."

I nodded. "My mom used to watch these movies when I was younger. She said they made her feel happy again. She stopped watching them along time ago."

"It's all so simple in that world."

I nodded again. "Where everything is scripted and the only thing you have to worry about is messing up your lines, 'cause you know, even if you get the words wrong everything's going to be ok."

"You're smarter than you look peanut."

"Where are the others?"

"Out working. People still die."

"I suppose. What about Harry?"

"Don't know. Couldn't really give a flying fuck either."

"What did he do that was so bad anyway?"

"You heard him yesterday. He digs into peoples old lives. Picks away at them. He goes places that you should never go with another reaper."

We were quiet for a long time after that. We just sat there, taking everything in. After awhile Rube got up and handed me some money.

"Go to the WaffleHaus peanut. Get yourself something to eat. I'll be there in a while with an answer."

I moved to the door.

"George." I turned.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" I nodded and smiled a bit. He smiled back. "But I don't want you to go."

There was no one in the WaffleHaus when I got there, so I got the Breakfast in Tiffany's meal and a cup of coffee and contemplated the fact that this could be my last meal.

The first one to arrive was Roxy. She wasn't particularly friendly to me, but there was a slight change in her demeanour as we sat there together. The next was Daisy. She chatted to us mindlessly as she tried to make me feel better and I appreciated the effort but I was glad when Roxy told her to shut up. Next Mason came in. I'd never seen him so sober. He kissed me softly. It was cute. If I'm still here later, I'll tease him about it. Harry turned up next, sliding into the booth next to Mason. He gave me a dirty look but kept his thoughts on me to himself.

"Hey guys." He received silence. "Whoa. Hostile crowd."

"You shouldn't expect anything more."

None of us had noticed Rube enter the diner. He sat beside Daisy and pulled out his little black book of death. And today, it held my fate also. He gave Daisy, Roxy and Mason their post its but no one moved and under the table Mason grabbed my hand.

Rube slapped and post it down in front of Harry and Mason's grip on my hand tightened.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Roxy's angry exclamation gave me little comfort.

Harry grinned and shot me a look of triumph. He glanced at his post it and looked up at Rube, confused. "What is this shit? China?"

Rube handed him a plane ticket. "We're full up. You've been given a transfer. Better hurry or you'll miss your flight. And I 'aint buying you another ticket."

Harry growled something unintelligible and stormed out of the WaffleHaus. Daisy giggled and Mason kissed me. It was a good start to the day. Rube handed me the yellow slip of paper and I scowled. "Aww, Rube. Come on."

"Don't give me shit peanut. I'm not in the mood"

"Oh, your not in the mood? …Oh shit! This guy dies in ten minutes."

I jumped up and looked at Mason. "You coming?" He nodded and followed me out the door.

Back to normal then.

I'm George Lass and I have a new life. It's big and bright and shiny and I like it.

**End! **

**If the name of George's reaper was mentioned, I failed to catch it. If I did indeed miss it, dont hesitate to review and tell me.**

**Personally I didn't think it was as good as "Distractions" but its really up to you people. Please feed the author!**

**Slán.**


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